Just a couple months removed from this year’s Relay for Life, the American Cancer Association has announced next year’s date.

The 2020 Relay for Life will be Friday, July 24, and again will be held in downtown Austin. This year’s relay was the first time it was held on Main Street.

Though the relay is still several months away, people can still donate by taking part in the Fall Fundraising Challenge.

Anybody who raises at least $200 by Nov. 15 will be given a long-sleeved shirt. Both online and offline donations qualify.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and in the spirit of the cause, the American Cancer Society has suggested a number of things you can do this month.

Volunteer your time

The American Cancer Society offers many programs that focus on the physical, social, and emotional needs of people facing breast cancer.

• Reach To Recovery – If you have survived breast cancer, you can train to become a Reach To Recovery volunteer who provides education and emotional support to other women – and men – facing a breast cancer diagnosis.

• Look Good Feel Better – This free, community-based service teaches patients beauty techniques to help restore their appearance and self-image during chemotherapy and radiation treatments. The program is a collaboration among the American Cancer Society, the Personal Care Products Council, and the Professional Beauty Association/National Cosmetology Association.

• Road To Recovery – Volunteer drivers in this program help cancer patients get to and from treatments. Last year, the American Cancer Society matched thousands of patients with volunteer drivers who donated their time and use of their cars.

Take part in research

As a breast cancer patient, you can seek out a clinical trial (www.cancer.org/treatment/treatments-and-side-effects/clinical-trials.html) or sign up to be part of a research project that could help those diagnosed with breast cancer in the future. People who have never had cancer can help, too. For example, the American Cancer Society has conducted multiple studies over the past several decades that examine cancer causes, prevention, and survivorship issues in large groups of people. The latest of these is Cancer Prevention Study-3. By sharing information about their lifestyle and health status, participants in these studies give scientists the data they need to battle cancer at the world-wide level.

Make your voice heard

Many battles in the fight against breast cancer happen in your local legislature as well as in Washington, DC. The American Cancer Society’s advocacy organization, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), can help you become informed about cancer issues and exercise your rights as a citizen to support the causes you feel passionate about. For example, you can sign a petition (www.fightcancer.org/what-we-do/breast-and-cervical-cancer) to support the federal program that helps ensure all women have access to lifesaving mammograms.

Participate in Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

The American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event raises millions of dollars every year to fund breast cancer research and provide information, services, and access to mammograms for women who need them. You can help by walking in a Making Strides event and raising donations, sponsoring another Making Strides walker, or volunteering your time and talent at an event. Nationwide, nearly 300 walks occur each year to honor breast cancer survivors, raise awareness, and raise money.

Take charge of your health

Although there’s no sure-fire way to prevent breast cancer, certain lifestyle habits are linked to a lower risk of it developing or returning.

• Be physically active. Evidence is growing that regular physical activity helps reduce your breast cancer risk. It also helps keep your weight under control, which may also lower your risk.

• Eat a healthy diet. Studies link a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, poultry, fish, and low-fat dairy products to a reduced breast cancer risk. A healthy diet also helps you stay at a healthy weight.

• If you drink alcohol, limit how much you drink. Research has shown that women who have two or more alcoholic drinks daily have a higher risk of breast cancer than women who drink only one drink a day or not at all.